Tobacco-feed for cigarette-machines.



A. L. EWBRS.

TOBACCO FEED FOR CIGARETTE MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 26. 1913.

1,1 14,1 27, Patented 001;. 20, 1914.

'3 I 2 SHEETSSHEE'I l.

IN VEN TOR.

A TTORIYE YS.

WITNESSES:

A. L. EWBRS.

TOBACCO FEED FOR CIGARETTE MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 26,1913. 1 1 1 4, 1 2'7, Patented Oct. 20, 1914.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

IN VEN TOR.

A TTORNE Y5.

BY AMXMOML [WMJ III] @M H II l l I I -III!H Eh WITNESSES.- I

l lllllllllllll UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER L. nwnns, or nUnMInjvInGINIa, AssieNo'n ir'o U'N'Irnn cre'iinnrrn MACHINE 00., ran, on LONDON, nnemnnn conronnrron or GRE T BRITAIN AND IRELAND.

Specification of Letters Patent."

TOEBACCO-FEEID FOR; CIGARETTE-MACHINES.

Application filed April 26, 1913. Serial No. 763,765.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER LEE Ewnns, a citizen of the United States, resid This invention relates to cigarette making.

machines, particularly to an automatic feed mechanism for delivering tobacco to the end.-

lesswrapper strip, and has for its object to,

provide the present feed hopper having two coacting delivery cylinders at one end, with means for maintaining a determined quantity of tobacco constantly against said cylinders, sothat the same amount will be continu'ously drawn by said cylinders from the hopper and delivered regularly and evenly to the traveling endless belt-that deposits it on the wrapper. p

The object desired is accomplished in a simple positive manner by forming the hoppeer with a movable bottomtraveling toward the cylinders, and placing within the hopper a. swinging partition or wall with movable faces that project nearly to the bottom of the hopperand divide the hopper-transversely into two compartments, one for receiving 'thetobacco inwhich the quantity thereof may vary and the other with .the delivery cylinders at one end into which tobacco is delivered from the receiving compartment and a constant quantity maintained therein so long as any tobacco remains on the receiving side of the partition. The partition is adjustable to and from the cylinders for the purpose of varying the capacity of the delivery compartment and regulating the quantity of tobacco fed thereinto to the amount drawn off by the cylinders.

With this as the principal object in view the invention consists of the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, or their equivalent means, to accomplish the ends sought, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a side elevation'of a feed hopper with the invention applied, showing particularly the driving mechanism. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the hopper as seen from the opposite side. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a perspective viewof certain details of construction, the parts thereof being separated. iF1g. 5 1s a top plan view.

10 indicates a portion of the main frame 0f a cigarette makin ishown being in the form of two upright posts upon opposite sides of which are'feed irolls 11 and 12. Between the frame posts 10,:10, is mounted a hopper 13, within which {the tobacco is placed, and from which it is delivered by the feed rolls 11 and 12, toa' traveling belt (not shown), from whence it is distributed to the cigarette wrapper strip.

usual the feed roll 11 has a roughened periphery and rotates continuously while-the f'eed roll 12 also having a roughened peripheral surface is given an intermittent rotation in the same direction as the roll 11 by jany suitable means well known to those skilled in the art.

2 From the side of each post 10 on which ,the feed roll 11 is journaled there projects Patented'Oct. 20, 1914.

machine, that part two horizontal arms 14 and 15. The lower arms 14- are provided with bearings for. shafts 16 and.17', which carry rolls 18 and 19 around. which is an endless belt. 20 that forms the bottom of the hopper, and which moves continuously toward the feed rolls 11 and 12. Fixed to one end ofthe shaft 16 is a belt heel 21 connected by a belt 22 with a belt pulley 23 on the shaft of the lower feed. roll 11 for turning the same. A second belt pulley 24 is fixed onthe shaft 16 to receive power from any suitable source.

A sprocket wheel 25 on the opposite end of the shaft 16 drives a chain belt 26 which. passes about a sprocket wheel 27 mounted on a stub shaft 28 carried in a bearing on the upper side of the adjacent lower horizontal arm 14.

The outer ends of the upper arms 15 are provided with hearings in which turn a horizontal shaft 29 that extends across the top of the hopper 13, and from which shaft the top of the plates 30. The plates 30 and belt do not extend quite to the bottom of the hopper, but serve to divide the same into twocompartments 37 and 38, the former for receiving the tobacco in bulk which is carried lov the two belts into the latter cr distributing compartment 38. By means of these belts a constant quantity of tobacco is'maintained in the distributing compartment. The belt 35 with the side plates 30 is adapted to swing upon the shaft 29 to a limited extent for the purpose of changing the relative capacities of the two compartments, and also for. varying the quantity of tobacco fed from one-into the other.

Upon-the shaft of the upper roller'34 of the belt 35 is fixed a gear wheel 39. A gear wheel 40 is mounted on a short shaft projecting from a bracket plate 41 on the side of one of the fingers 32, and is connected to .a sprocket'wheel 42 driven by a chain 43 passing around a sprocket 44 fixed to the sprocket wheel 27. Between the gear wheels 39 and 40 is an intermediate gear wheel 45 by which motionis imparted to the belt 35 causing it to travel in the direction indicated by the-arrow for the purpose of feeding tobacco from the compartment 37 into the compartment 38, said belt working in conjunc-' tion with the horizontal belt 20, which, as before stated, constitutes the bottom of the hopper. Upon the extreme end of the shaft 29 at one side of the hopper is an arc plate 46, which turns with said shaft as the belt 35 swings, and'has a curved slot 47 therein concentric with the axis of the shaft 29. Projecting downwardly from the end of the arm 15 on the inside of the arc plate 46 is a lug 48, in which is made a threaded hole 49 for a fastening nut or bolt 50 that extends through the slot 47 into said hole. By loosening the bolt 50 the belt 35 may be swung on the shaft 29 to any position desired, after which the bolt is tightened and the belt held in such adjusted position.

The operation 'of the apparatus is very simple. Tobacco in any quantity desired is placed in the compartment 37, and by means of the relatively slow movement of the belts 20 and 35 the tobacco is fed by said belts through the'space 51 therebetween into the compartment 38, from whence it is delivered by the feed rolls 11 and 12. The speed at which the belts 20, 35 travel is such as to keep a constant unvarying quantity of tobacco in the compartment 38 so long as there is any in the compartment 37, irrespective of the height or quantity in the latter compartment. If at any time the amount of tobacco in the compartment 38 is observed to in crease or decrease, this increase or decrease being, however, under any circumstances very slight, the belt 35 is swung toward or from the feed rolls more or less to change the relative feeding capacity of said belt.

With this simple device as long as there is any tobacco in the receiving compartment 37 the tobacco in the distributing compartment 38 will continue at the same height therein, andbear against the feed rolls 11 and 12 with constant pressure so that the tobacco will be drawn off by said feed rolls with absolute regularity, and the same quantity delivered thereby at all times, which is very necessary in the manufacture of cigarettes.

What I claim is 1. In a cigarette machine, the combination with a tobacco feed hopper having tobacco'delivery means therein, of a partition arranged within and transversely of the hopper dividing the latter into two compartments, said partition having an upwardly traveling face exposed in the compartment opposite the delivery means for maintaining a substantially constant level of tobacco 1n the said compartment. I

2. In a cigarette machine, the combination with a tobacco feed hopper having delivery rolls therein located one above the other and between which the tobacco is fed, of a partition arranged within and trans versely of the hopper dividing the latter into two communicating compartments, said partition having a traveling face moving upwardly in the compartment in which the delivery rolls are located.

3. In a cigarette making machine, the combination with a tobacco feed hopper having delivery rolls, of a transverse swinging partition therein having a movable face.

4. In a cigarette making machine, the combination with a tobacco feed hopper having deliver rolls, of a transverse swinging partition t ierein the lower end of which terminates at a point slightly above the bottomof saidv hopper, said partition having a movable face.

5. In a cigarette making machine, the combination with a tobacco feed hopper having delivery rolls, of a transverse swinging partition therein extending'nearly to the bottom of said hopper and having a movable front and rear face, said partition being fulcrumed at its upper end.

6. In a cigarette making machine, the combination with a tobacco feed hopper having delivery rolls, of a continuously movable bottom for said hopper, and a transverse swinging partition within the hopper extending nearly to the bottom thereof and having a movable face.

7. In a cigarette making machine, the combination with a tobacco feed hopper having delivery rolls, of a bottom for said hopper movable continuously toward said rolls, and a transverse swinging partition within the hopper extending nearly to the bottom thereof and having a continuously moving front and rear face.

8. In a cigarette, making machine, the

combination with a tobacco feed hopper having delivery rolls, of a transverse swinging partition therein formed of an endless belt.

9. In a cigarette making machine, the combination with a tobacco feed hopper having delivery rolls, of a transverse swingiIlg partition therein formed by an endless belt, and means for driving said belt.

10. In a cigarette making machine, the combination with a tobacco feed hopper, of a transverse swinging partition therein extending nearly to the bottom of said hopper and having a movable front and rear face, said partition being fulcrumed at its upper end, and means for holdingsaid partition rigidly after --adjusting the same about said fulcrum.

11. In a cigarette making machine, the combinationwitha tobacco feed hopper, of an endless belt forming. the bottom of the same, a swinging partitlon extending transversely of the hopper comprising side plates, an endless traveling belt mounted on rollers supportedby the upper and lower ends of said plates, and means. for imparting motion to said belts.

12. In a cigarette machine, atobacco feed hopper havin delivery rolls therein, and traveling on ess means arranged within and transversely of the hopper dividing the latter into two compartments for maintaining a substantially constant level of tobacco in one of said compartments, and for feeding the tobacco toward the delivery rolls.

13. In a cigarette machine, a tobacco feed hopper having tobacco delivery means therein, a traveling bottom in the hopper movable in the direction of the said delivery means, and a partition arranged Within and transversely of the hopper di' viding the latter into two communicating. compartments, said partition having an upwardly traveling face located within the compartment in which. the tobacco delivery means is situated for maintaining a substantially constant level of tobacco in the said compartment.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand" in presence of two subscribing witnesses. 1

ALEXANDERL. EWYERS. 

